1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat generation control technology and, more particularly, to a method, apparatus and system for controlling heat generation from a semiconductor integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the process of fabrication becomes increasingly finer and components are more highly integrated, heat value has become an important concern in designing an LSI as a parameter indicating a limit of chip performance. As a chip is heated to a high temperature, the chip may operate improperly or the long-term reliability thereof decreases. Therefore, various countermeasures for heat generation are taken. For example, a heat sink may be provided on top of a chip to allow heat from the chip to escape.
In LSIs fabricated recently and, particularly, in a high-performance microprocessor, heat may be generated that cannot be dissipated by a heat sink. Therefore, improvement in heat release efficiency and prevention of heat generation itself remain goals to be achieved. In developing an LSI product, it is necessary to guarantee heat release effect or heat prevention effect on a set by set basis. A prerequisite for this is to accurately evaluate these effects in the process of developing the product.